Pitchside notes: Mansaray the 2nd-ever FC Cincinnati player to go on int'l duty

Victor Mansaray, an FC Cincinnati forward, accepted a call-up for an African Cup of Nations qualifier for the Sierra Leone senior men's national team.
The Enquirer/Patrick Brennan

FC Cincinnati striker Victor Mansaray (80) watches as the ball slips by him in the first half during the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup game between AFC Cleveland and FC Cincinnati, Wednesday, May 17, 2017.(Photo: The Enquirer/Kareem Elgazzar)

Victor Mansaray was notable for his absence from Futbol Club Cincinnati training this past week, but he's been in Africa answering a higher footballing calling.

Mansaray accepted this week a call-up to the Sierra Leone senior men's national team, which on Saturday hosted and beat the Kenya "Harambee Stars" in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

Mansaray announced he accepted the call-up via Instagram, saying, "Now is time to take the next step by accepting the call up from the MotherLand to play in the Africa Cup Of Nations Qualifiers at home this weekend. As a kid, I always wanted to wear that Green, White & Blue and play in front of my people and my mom & finally here I am today."

Mansaray, though he didn't play or dress in the 2-1 win over Kenya, now holds the distinction of being the second-ever FC Cincinnati player to receive an international call-up while with the club.

The first player to earn that distinction was back-up Cincinnati goalkeeper and Guam international, Dallas Jaye.

Senegalese striker Djiby Fall is a veteran of the international realm but the 32-year-old hasn't been called up since joining FC Cincinnati in February.

"Any time you get to kind of represent your family, represent your country that your family comes from, it's a special time. It's something I think every player in this games wants to be able to do," Jaye told The Enquirer. "For me, getting to represent my mom's side of the family with Guam is some of the best memories and experiences I've had in soccer so far. For Vic, especially as a younger player, he's been able to represent the U.S. at multiple youth levels. To get this call this early in his career, and to make that decision to cap-tie himself to Sierra Leone is a big deal, and I think he's more than capable of taking advantage of the opportunity."

The decision to join last week's Sierra Leone national team camp is an interesting one for Mansaray, who as recently as January was playing internationally with the U.S. Under-20 national team, a squad that recently concluded a thrilling run to the quarterfinal round of the ongoing FIFA U20 World Cup in South Korea.

Mansaray wasn't selected from the American under-20 player pool to compete in the World Cup, though, so now he's testing the waters with Sierra Leone.

Testing the waters could quickly become a career's commitment to his motherland.

While Mansaray wasn't expected to start against Kenya, a substitute appearance in the match would have cap-tied him to Sierra Leone, meaning he would no longer be able to represent another FIFA-affiliated national team. His career with U.S. Soccer would effectively be over.

By not dressing and therefore not appearing in the match, Mansaray delayed making final the fate of his international career.

But Mansaray definitely has international soccer in his future, so the decision could be finalized on his next Sierra Leone call-up.

Such choices are difficult but common ones in the footballing world. The conversations are rarely reducible to a question of a given player's patriotism, too.

Another sizable chunk of the Sierra Leone player pool plays its club soccer in Europe.

Mansaray is expected to rejoin FC Cincinnati Monday or Tuesday.

NEW FACE HANGING AROUND THE TRAINING GROUND

Dave Schureck, a Louisville native, former men's head soccer coach at both Xavier and Dayton, and a staple in the local youth soccer community for years, has been hanging around FC Cincinnati training sessions in recent weeks, apparently assisting Koch's staff in certain areas.

It's unclear whether Schureck has an official role with the club or not, but the timing of his arrival at training sessions is interesting as FC Cincinnati appears to have at least one vacant position on its technical staff following the departure of part-time goalkeeper coach Jamie Starr.

The deeper FC Cincinnati's gone in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the more demand there's been for the club to find a way to broadcast its matches in the competition.

With short notice to prepare a broadcast, the second-round match against AFC Cleveland wasn't broadcast or streamed, although tickets were built into season ticket holders' 2017 packages, so plenty of fans witnessed the game in-person.

For the big, third-round rivalry tussle with Louisville City FC, the match was streamed by the club.

Now, Spectrum Sports will televise Wednesday's fourth-round match against Columbus Crew SC of Major League Soccer, FC Cincinnati announced Friday.

According to FCCincinnati.com, Spectrum Sports is available across Ohio and Northern Kentucky to Spectrum Customers.

The match can be found on channel 311 HD in Southwest and Central Ohio areas and channel 314 HD in northeast Ohio. For customers in east Columbus as well as Northern Kentucky, the game will air on channel 510/511 HD. The stream of the match will also be available on ussoccer.com.

Perhaps most important to local fans is that the the club's "A-Team" of broadcasters, including Tom Gelehrter, Kevin McCloskey and Lindsay Patterson, will be on the call for the match.

“We are pleased to be able to showcase the soccer energy that can be found in the Buckeye State,” FC Cincinnati President and General Manager Jeff Berding said in a news release. “Whether you are a fan of FC Cincinnati or Columbus Crew SC, if you’re unable to make it out to Nippert Stadium, we hope you will tune in to watch two Ohio teams battle it out on the pitch.”